Corruption in Bangladesh has assumed such large proportions with various types and forms that large sections of the public have come to believe that it is impossible to get rid of this menace. In such an atmosphere of pervasive cynicism, the thing which ought to be repeatedly emphasised --- and quite correctly --- is that the scourge can be managed or controlled.
Many other countries had been notoriously corrupt in the past, but have succeeded in tackling the problem through a mixture of administrative and electoral reforms. But in a country which buckles under the gigantic burden of corruption and struggles to find a way to overcome its oppressive weight, any step towards giving the still-nascent anti-corruption movement a fillip deserves to be warmly commended.
The media reports and editorials acknowledge the need for a variety of strategies to fight corruption, ranging from general measures such as the simplification of rules and procedures and the application of information technology to specific steps such as netting corrupt public servants. While agencies such as the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) can play a vital role, any comprehensive strategy to combat corruption would have to involve other bodies such as NGOs and the print and electronic media.
Wide publicity should be given to it and copies must be made available to the public on demand. It is shocking to learn that India is one of the most corrupt countries in the world; more corrupt than Somalia and Afghanistan. At the other end of the scale is Somalia, which barely qualifies as a nation given its non-stop civil wars and the economy based mostly on hideous acts of piracy.
Corruption is a deep-seated scourge in countries like Egypt, India, Indonesia, Morocco and Pakistan, where 60 per cent of the executives surveyed reported having been solicited for a bribe. The Transparency International notes that bribes consume an estimated $20 billion to $40 billion a year worldwide, money that could be used for productive investment and jobs.
Although it may hurt the pride of Bangladeshis in admitting, the truth is Bangladesh is one of the most corrupt countries on the world map. The latest Corruption Perception Index conducted by the Berlin-based Transparency International, which conducts an annual survey that attempts to aggregate perceptions of corruption within countries, ranks Bangladesh at a lowly 139th out of a list of 180 nations.
The war against corruption is arduous and is fraught with many hazards and challenges. It is not easy to win. For now, the need is to put in place tight scrutiny wherever government money is spent or collected.
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